Write a short survey
Keep only what's essential. If a question isn't important enough to make it into your report, it probably shouldn't be in the survey.
In Thisys: Every template page shows its question count and about how long it takes to answer, so you can see the length before you start. Browse templates
Use simple words
Prefer plain language over technical phrasing — write for the broadest audience your survey will reach.
Relax your grammar
Favour natural phrasing over strict formality if it makes a question easier to read.
Assure a common understanding
Don't assume shared background knowledge — spell out abbreviations and terms that could be read differently.
Start with interesting questions
Open with something that grabs attention; save harder or more sensitive questions for later.
Don't write leading questions
Avoid phrasing that nudges respondents toward a specific answer.
Avoid double negatives
Double negatives are easy to misread and cost you clean data.
Balance rating scales
Give equal room to both extremes of a scale so it doesn't skew responses.
In Thisys: A rating question labels both ends of its scale, and can offer a Not applicable choice that is left out of the average. See the question types
Keep choice lists short
Long, unfamiliar answer lists are harder to evaluate — trim to what's essential.
Avoid difficult concepts
Some ideas are hard for a general audience to parse — simplify or explain them.
Avoid hard recall questions
The further back you ask someone to remember, the less reliable their answer becomes.
Prefer closed-ended questions
Fixed response categories are faster to answer and easier to analyse at scale.
Order questions logically
Earlier questions shape how people think about later ones — move from general to specific.
Pre-test your survey
Send it to a small group first and ask what was confusing before you publish.
In Thisys: Preview, on any survey in My surveys, runs it as a respondent will see it. A test response is kept out of your results.
Name your survey well
A clear, specific title gets more opens than a generic one.
Write a short cover note
State the purpose, why it matters, what happens with the results, and the due date.
In Thisys: A survey's description is shown to respondents, so that is the place for the purpose and the date.
Use the right answer format
Match your answer format to how you'll actually use the data afterward.
Plan your analysis ahead of time
Know how you'll analyse responses before you finalise the questions.
In Thisys: Analyse charts every question as answers arrive, and its Export & download page lists each file format you can take the data away in.
Don't expect more expertise than your audience has
Write for your least specialised respondent, not your most expert one.
Use neutral language
A survey should surface what your audience thinks — not signal what you think.
Ask one question at a time
Compound questions are hard to answer and harder to interpret.
Use balanced, comparable scale intervals
Uneven scale steps (e.g. "good" next to "terrible") lose the detail in between.
Prefer discrete ranges over vague terms
"1-3 times a month" beats "almost never" for both respondents and analysis.
Add a comment box for complex questions
Give respondents an escape hatch, plus options like "not sure," so they don't pick an inaccurate answer.
In Thisys: A choice question can offer an Other box, and a rating can offer a Not applicable choice, so nobody has to pick an answer that is not theirs.
The Benefits of Online Surveys
Online surveys have grown steadily in popularity, letting companies learn directly from the people they're trying to reach. The more a company understands its market, the more effectively it can serve it — and that same feedback loop has led to new products and the return of discontinued ones people still wanted. The value runs both ways: consumers get a channel to shape what companies build, and participation itself compounds — the more people take part, the more weight the results carry.
How To Answer An Online Survey
A good online survey opens with a short explanation of how long it takes and how many questions to expect, specifically so you don't abandon it partway through. Read each question fully — including the full list of answer choices — before responding, since an early answer can shape what you're asked next. Take a moment before you answer; the questions are usually simpler than they first appear.
Honesty In Online Surveys
It's tempting to click through a survey quickly, or to answer the way you think you're supposed to. In practice, your first instinct is usually both the fastest and the most accurate response. Honest answers are also what serve your own interests best — organisations act on patterns across many honest respondents, not on any single reply, so an accurate answer is the one most likely to actually be useful.